For a trip that began with endless warnings of “don’t eat the street food", I didn’t expect my first encounter in India to include meeting a Bollywood star. Yet, on my flight back from Mumbai, that’s exactly what happened.
It was a fitting end to my visit to a country I was experiencing for the first time, one that often sparks different opinions. My five-day itinerary took me from the lively and buzzing city of Mumbai to the peaceful, palace-lined hills of Udaipur. And while India wasn’t a place I had thought much about visiting before, I found it refreshing to arrive without any real expectations.
I arrived in Mumbai after a short 3.5-hour journey from Dubai. Since my flight landed in the evening, there wasn’t much to see, but I could still make out my hotel, which was connected to the airport. What should have been a quick 10-minute ride ended up taking much longer thanks to traffic. Not only was it bumper-to-bumper, but it came with a soundtrack of non-stop honking, something I’d become very familiar with over the next few days.
When I finally reached my hotel, I couldn’t help but think it might have been faster to walk from the terminal. Still, the detour gave me an immediate taste of life in the city, something I'd discover more of over the next couple of days.
Mumbai fascinated me because it felt like a place full of paradoxes – some areas were dirtier than expected, while others were overly clean; wealth sat shoulder-to-shoulder with those who had far less, some areas are incredibly urban while a few streets away a more rural existence seems within reach. Yet despite the contrasts, the city carried a captivating energy.
I had a lovely one-on-one tour with a guide named Ragini, who showed me many of Mumbai’s famous attractions. I saw the entrance to Antilia, the residence of Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani; visited the Gateway of India and the waterfront.
We even had lunch at the historic Leopold Cafe, which was cramped and crowded, but carried a sense of what old Mumbai must have felt like. I was seated in front of a window that still had bullet holes preserved from the 2008 terrorist attacks. It was surreal to think this was the same city so many Bollywood stars call home.
Seeing Mumbai was like looking at several different worlds layered on top of one another. As our car remained at a standstill, Ragini put it, half-jokingly: “Rich or poor, you’re still stuck in Mumbai traffic".
After a few days in the buzzing city, which I genuinely enjoyed, it was off to the picturesque Udaipur via a short flight. If I knew little about Mumbai, I knew even less about this place. But upon landing, I was pleasantly surprised by its landscape – old palaces, mountain views and lush greenery in every direction. As we pulled up to our hillside hotel, I was in awe of how majestic the surroundings were.
This was the India I hadn’t often seen portrayed by travel influencers or on social media. It was stunningly beautiful and remarkably peaceful. Even a trip to the old town, complete with the familiar honking I’d grown used to, held a surreal charm, especially when walking past centuries-old heritage buildings still standing proudly.
And as if that wasn’t enough of a surprise, my trip ended with an unexpected encounter. On the flight back to Dubai, I overheard a cabin crew member say, “I think he’s famous,” followed by the word “photos". Curious, I turned around to see a handsome passenger in sunglasses sitting next to my friend. I messaged her, assuming he was just an influencer, and she excitedly replied: “A big Bollywood star!”
And indeed, it was. I ended up briefly chatting with Ishaan Khatter, whom I’d watched in last year’s The Perfect Couple, which starred Nicole Kidman. Just like the Indian hospitality I experienced throughout the trip, he was warm and gracious in person, a fitting final note to a trip that surprised me in more ways than one.
